Many girls drop out of school due to unwanted pregnancies, and after giving birth even fail to offer the proper financial support to their children. It’s for this motive that Resonate has developed programs to not only help them create jobs, but also find self-esteem, soft skills and network among others. Resonate (a Rwandan non-profit social enterprise that unlocks the leadership potential of women and youth in East Africa through transformative leadership workshops), through their leadership initiatives intends to confect women’s determination and discover solutions to their challenges. The social enterprise, through the celebration of International Womens Day 2021, under the theme, “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world”, targets to procure a balanced future for women leaders through three Covid-19 recovery initiatives. These initiatives include; ‘Gira Ubushobozi’ that aims at curbing unemployment amongst women and youth, ‘Speak for change’ that enables women to make informed and healthy choices by building their agency and advocacy skills and ‘Rise and STEM’, as this is aimed to assist women to join and engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The ‘Gira Ubushobozi’ program is slated to be launched soon, and will be required to offer the youth and women marketable and leadership skills in their career journey, but also escalate their confidence to strike into income-productive activities. According to Norette Turimuci, the Executive Director of Resonate, this program will provide the right combination of soft and professional skills to recent graduates from secondary schools and TVET institutions. With the support that is rendered to the youth to evade the unemployment issue, Turimuci believes there is still a need for more interventions to limit the long-term adverse effects of youth unemployment in Rwanda during COVID-19. “To address this issue that has been reinforced by the pandemic, the ‘Gira Ubushobozi’ initiative is generated to equip women and youth with skills so as to compete for the job market and create jobs. “The initiative is anticipated to provide various, potent training programs such as; soft skills modules, professional etiquette, networking skills, self-confidence, boost communication and adaptability skills while glossing talents among the youth.” Norette Turimuci states. Young women are provided training to boost their self-esteem. / Photo: Resonate Workshops In order to endow women and youth with essential professional skills to ensure economic transformation, Resonate is partnering with government institutions and other organizations in the ecosystem to offer extensive training in which the end result is to support them find and create jobs. With ‘Speak for change initiative’, the Executive Director of Resonate also points out that it is aimed at structuring leadership skills and self-advocacy for women and girls in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and promotion and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention programs. She carries on that the initiative matriculates young girls and women between the ages of 14 to 35 in remote areas and low-income communities with a distinctive target on teen mothers and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence to create a better future for themselves and their children, and feel confident with their bodies. Turimuci further notes that the leadership programs have so far impacted women who, after partaking in the workshops, triumph in taking on leadership positions, starting their businesses, while others advance in their academic levels. Resonate has partnered with ‘Réseaux des Femmes’ and trained 60 teen mothers in Rwamagana in December, 2020. But anticipates to partner with other organizations that deliver SRHR and GBV services and programs this year. Turimuci stresses that the ‘Rise and STEM initiative’ that was launched in February aims to build the resilience of young women and equip them with soft skills to help them overcome the cultural and economic setbacks that come with working in a strongly male-dominated industry. Resonate is partnering with organizations that support women and girls in STEM, especially ICT-related fields, to join forces together to empower Rwanda’s top women in STEM. So far, they have partnered with Girls in ICT and RAWISE. They are calling upon other collaborations hence providing proper support to women in such courses. “The outreach is important for women to join STEM, but mentorship is key in ensuring these women stay in STEM. The partnership between Girls in ICT and Resonate will address both aspects, and we are thrilled to be a part of the reason more girls and women will continue to join and stay in STEM,” says Gaëlle Nsengiyumva, the President of Girls in ICT, one of Resonate’s partners. Some of the participants are grateful for this program as it connects them with other smart girls in STEM from diverse backgrounds. The programs have given hope to many girls who are on the path of fulfilling their dreams, for example, one teen mother known as ‘Latifa’ had given up on her studies as she had lost hope and her self-confidence. However, through the ‘Speak for Change program, she has decided to go back to school. She believes that that way, her future will be bright and she will generate some employment with the skills offered, so as to care for her child.
